National Grid, Northeast Utilities and Unitil Corp. seek more wind power

FILE- In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, Green Mountain Power wind turbines are seen along the mountaintop in Lowell, Vt. During the height of last monthâÂÂs heat wave, at least two wind farms in northern New England were ordered to reduce the amount of electricity they sent to the regional power grid. Located on far-flung mountain ridges and hilltops, wind turbines routinely encounter bottlenecks as electricity flows to the regional power grid. At times of peak demand, wind energy producers are sometimes brought offline to avoid causing power lines to overheat, causing them to sag, or even catch fire.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)AP

BOSTON (AP) — The largest utilities companies in Massachusetts have signed long-term contracts to buy wind-generated electricity at prices below the cost of most other sources, including coal and nuclear.

The contracts filed jointly with state utilities regulators by National Grid, Northeast Utilities and Unitil Corp. would buy 565 megawatts of electricity from six planned wind farms in Maine and New Hampshire, enough to power about 170,000 homes.

The Boston Globe (http://b.globe.com/19wt5og) reports that if approved, the contracts would eventually save ratepayers from an estimated 75 cents to $1 per month.

Over the life of the 15- to 20-year contracts, utilities would pay an average price of less than 8 cents per kilowatt hour, compared with projected prices of about 10 cents for coal and 11 cents for nuclear.